In honor of October's National Adopt-A-Shelter Dog month, we took a look at some of the dog-friendly happenings in and around Houston. It's easy to feel overwhelmed thinking about Houston's homeless pet population, but one glance at all of the great work being done by volunteers, shelters and philanthropists around town, and you'll soon be wagging your tail.

October 1-31 - Adopt a dog from the Houston SPCA this month and you'll be entered for a chance to win a one-month subscription gift card to BarkBox; they'll announce 12 lucky winners on November 1. The SPCA has dogs of all shapes and sizes, plus cats, kittens and small companion animals. National Adopt-A-Shelter Dog month runs October 1-31 at Houston SPCA, 900 Portway, 713-869-7722, HoustonSPCA.org.

October 8 - DogPop is a cross between a dog festival and a pop-up market, with tasty mimosas, food trucks and a Halloween dog costume contest. It's organized by Neue Creative and Modular Dog (those cool folks who do Puppies for Breakfast each year), and they've even planned a few yoga sessions for Spot: Yogaleena Studio conducts $25 Doga sessions at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Enjoy spins by DJ Ill-Set while your dog plays in the fenced area, and donations benefit local dog rescues. DogPop runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. October 8, Raven Tower, 310 North Street, houstondogpop.com.

October 8-9 - Rice Village Flea is back and better than ever with two days of shopping from local vendors like Alesha's Glass Art Creations, Brain Candy Art Co., Paycheck Addict Clothing and more. It's all for a good cause, with dog adoptions by the Love, Molly Fund, which fund-raises for and helps with local animal rescue efforts. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. October 8-9, 5505 Morningside. For information, visit their Facebook event page or thelovemollyfund.org.

Come see the amazing one-of-a-kind dog houses at the 8th Annual Barkitecture Houston, and help Pup Squad continue its mission of caring for pregnant and nursing dogs and their puppies.

Photo courtesy of GreenStreet

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October 14-15 - Fashion meets function at the 8th Annual Barkitecture Houston, where creative architects, designers and artists create amazing dog houses (one year they built one that looked like a rescue helicopter). The event benefits Pup Squad Animal Rescue, which devotes its energies to pregnant dogs, nursing dogs and puppies. The fun begins with a dog-friendly Yappy Hour and raffle from 6 to 9 p.m. on October 14 at The Lawn by McCormick & Schmick's. Come back the next day to see the one-of-a-kind doghouse exhibition, with an adoption zone, blessing of the animals, Halloween pet costume contest and more. Barkitecture Houston runs from noon 4 p.m. October 15, 1201 Fannin, greenstreetdowntown.com or pupsquad.org.

October 14 - The Third Annual Divots for Dogs benefits Corridor Rescue Inc., which works to rescue abandoned dogs and cats from the streets. The 18-hole golf event isn't just for golfers; they're also planning a dinner and silent auction with cool stuff like a Buffalo Bayou Partnership pontoon boat tour, a stay at Rover Oaks Kennel, and much more. Lunch begins at 11 a.m., shotgun start is at noon, and the awards dinner and silent auction begin at 6 p.m. October 14, Longwood Golf Club, 13300 Longwood Trace, Cypress, corridorrescue.org/divots-for-dogs. $150 to $2,500.

October 14 - The BARC on Broadway Ball is a swanky event at the Junior League of Houston with Mayor Sylvester Turner as honorary chair. The event benefits the Houston BARC Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports the needs of animals at the BARC shelter, funds spaying and neutering, and helps with community adoptions. 7 p.m. October 14, Junior League of Houston, 1811 Briar Oaks Lane, HoustonBARCFoundation.org. $500 to $50,000.

Houston Boxer Rescue Wine Walk has a silent auction that includes a photo autographed by the cast of Downton Abbey; proceeds benefit boxers like Zachary.

Photo courtesy of Houston Boxer Rescue

October 15 - One of our favorite events – because it merges art, wine and dogs – is the Houston Boxer Rescue Wine Walk at Spring Street Studios. Some of the artists there open up their studios, and the oh-so-fab silent auction items include jewelry, trips, a guitar autographed by all of the Rolling Stones and even a signed George Rodrigue print (you know, the Blue Dog guy). So sip and stroll, enjoy the live music and appetizers, and help support this group that rescues, cares for, rehabilitates and rehomes boxers like Zachary. The Houston Boxer Rescue Wine Walk runs from 3 to 5:30 p.m. October 15, Spring Street Studios, 1824 Spring, houstonboxerrescue.org. $35.

October 15-16 - We love the cute, historic houses in Old Town Spring, and now that the weather has turned, it's a great place to sip, stroll and enjoy all of the fun at PetFest. Last year's event featured 60 vendors and 80 rescue and service groups, plus a costume contest, dog show, the Texas Wiener Dog Race and more. We heard that more than 100 dogs were adopted as a result of last year's festival, and this next one looks bigger than ever. PetFest runs from 9:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. October 15, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. October 16, Preservation Park, Old Town Spring, 403 Main, Spring, petfestoldtownspring.com.

More dog-related events are added to our calendar regularly; please visit houstonpress.com/calendar for the latest and greatest in hip happenings in H-Town.

Susie is a contributing writer who enjoys covering the lively arts and culture scene in Houston and surrounding areas, connecting creative makers with the Houston Press readers to make every week a great one.